Agenda item

This report is a progress update on responding to the ‘Best Value Notice’ that was issued to the Council by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), in August 2023. This was in response to the completion of an external assurance review carried out by DLUHC. The findings were in line with those of the Chief Executive’s internal assurance review. The recommendations have been welcomed in dealing with historical issues and setting a new tone for the Council.

An action plan attached in appendix 1 provides a detailed update, as of October 2023, on how the Council has responded to each recommendation from the two assurance reviews.

The Leader of the Council presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix ‘A’ to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report gave an update on progress in responding to the ‘Best Value Notice’ that was issued to the Council by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), in August 2023 following the completion of an external assurance review by DLUHC. DLUHC’s findings tallied with the Chief Executive’s internal governance review in June 2023. The Leader referred to the speed in which the Chief Executive and his team had prepared and implemented an action plan to respond to each recommendation from the two reviews. The Leader and the Chief Executive drew attention to the following aspects of the action plan circulated at appendix 1 of the report:

·       Action 34 was the only action not yet started, this would commence following the internal review of BCP Council companies in early 2024 and was not due for completion until June 2024.

·       Action 41: a cross party working group had now been established to provide member oversight in the review of the Transformation Programme.

·       Major items included agreeing a Corporate Strategy and clear set of priorities ahead of budget setting and the Medium Term Financial Plan.

·       Action 5: Assurance had been received from all group leaders that the party whip was not applied to overview and scrutiny.

·       DLUHC had indicated that it was content with progress at the first quarterly review meeting.

Members commented on the following actions listed in the plan:

·       Action 1: The Board agreed to ask the Constitution Review Working Group to consider including a provision in the Constitution for Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Chairs to be elected from outside the Administration where political balance allowed.

·       Actions 2/18/19: There was support for ongoing training beyond the initial induction to meet emerging needs and manage expectations. It was noted that a follow up session with members was being arranged before Christmas to identify ongoing needs and any gaps. Members asked if more duplicate evening sessions and the ability to join remotely could be considered as this would help those who worked during the day.  It was noted that O&S Board work programme development sessions with the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) were taking place between November and February.

·       Action 3: There was a difference of views on the changes made to the O&S structure and the priority given to pre Cabinet scrutiny. It was noted that while this Board was now more closely aligned to the Cabinet cycle than other O&S Committees to facilitate pre Cabinet scrutiny, this did not prevent the Board from having a broader focus. The O&S Specialist explained that there were ways for O&S to be engaged with policy development at an earlier stage. These issues could be discussed further at the CfGS work programming sessions.

The Leader explained that items were sometimes added to the Cabinet Forward Plan at a late stage, e.g. as a result of changing priorities or funding bids. She asked if it was preferable to include items at an earlier stage to raise awareness with O&S but with a caveat that circumstances may change.

·       Action 17: There were differing views about the value of having a weekly email from the Leader to all councillors - whether this should be regular but on a less frequent, more ‘need to know’ basis - and it was noted that this was a matter for the Leader to decide.

·       Action 28: The Board agreed that the wording of this action should clarify that ‘councillor correspondence with external parties’ only applied when classed as official correspondence written on behalf of the Council (Section 5 of the Protocol for Councillor/Officer Relations).

·       Action 30: The Leader explained that all Future Places staff were now in house and working through costings with identified priorities being Poole Leisure Centre, Holes Bay, BIC and Wessex Fields.

·       Action 34: There was no longer a need for a rapporteur on this issue.

·       Action 38: Participation in the Safety Valve Programe would require Council approval.

·       Action 40: The benefits of the new Enterprise Resource Planning system were discussed and it was suggested that members receive a 15 minute demonstration before the start of the next meeting.

·       Action 41: Members were encouraged by progress made in reviewing the Transformation Programme.

The Chair thanked the Leader and the Chief Executive for a clear and comprehensive update on progress. It was agreed to review this item again at the O&S Board meeting in April 2024 as part of the quarterly report on performance management.